Free Projects & Ideas

 

UPDATE- We now have free projects for you to download and try at home in our new "PROJECT DOWNLOADS" section of the website, there are currently two to try; a bag making sheet and a ladies perfume set. Please click HERE to view this section and look for the free projects

I will be adding more free download projects to this section- watch this space

CRAFTY CORNER- A XMAS ROOM BOX By Mag's Taylor

I would like to talk you through a recent project of mine.  I wanted to make a gift for my mother who is 89yrs young.  What to choose?  I decided on a room box as it is portable and she would be able to take it with her to show her friends, when she visits her club.  It would hopefully give her a talking point.  So here is an account of how I went about it and the bloopers!  It is my first room box so be nice!

 

First of all I glued the room box together and left to dry overnight.  It has no front but I will deal with this later.

Once it was thoroughly dry I straightened the ends of a whole bunch of lolly sticks and glued them in place to resemble floor boards.  I then stained and polished them.

To the ceiling I put embossed ceiling paper and the three walls were decorated with a nice green and white paper floor to ceiling.

Next step was to make myself a chimney breast I used stiff card for this and again covered it floor to ceiling with the same paper as the walls.  It was secured in place with pva glue 

I made a coving from paper, as there wasn’t enough time to order one and await delivery. I did this by cutting strips of paper from an A4 sheet approx 1.5cms wide using pritt stick I stuck each edge down one first then curving the paper slightly pushed the other edge into position.

I made three shelves for either side of the chimney breast.  One shelf to the left and two for the right.  I chose this as I didn’t want the room to look too assymetrical and also my theme was to make Santas sitting room.  So the shelf on the left was Christmas past, and the lower shelf on the right, Christmas present, the higher right hand shelf, Christmas future.

  

 

**Tip, when making a room box work from the back to the front.  This way you won’t put things into your way.  So you need to be fairly clear about how you want the room to look before you start.**

The shelving was made from quite thick balsa stained and polished.  I got some cardstock and cut out some folders I wrote on each one individually, So the Christmas past shelf held: a folder for each decade, careful attention to ensure that the 1910 and 1940’s folders were smaller to take account the two world wars! 

On the Christmas present shelf I placed folders titled for each continent and one for good children and onefor bad ones!

The Christmas future shelf had folders for individual years to come.labels can be downloaded for the ends of these folders, but due to sight limitations I made up my own titles.

Next step was to cut, stain and polish the skirting boards glue in place and leave to dry.

I found some wonderful pictures of Santa in various poses from the internet, printed them out and waited patently for him indoors to cut them out for me.  Once done[thanks Nick] I chose a larger picture and glued it onto a thin sheet of balsa wood, then taking a recycled box from the cupboard[I used the window from this here] I made the glass by cutting around the picture.  Then taking some door arcitrive I made a frame up glued the acetate onto the picture followed by the frame allowed to dry and then placing the room box on it’s back side I glued the picture in place in the centre of the chimney breast.

 

I had a slot and tab lounge kit and I used a sette and grandfather clock from this as well as a table.  First I stained all the pieces, then glued them and finally polished them with beeswax.  Once dry here is how I put some finer details to them.

I used a piece of silk striped taffeta for the sofa upholstery and made a card template for the cushions cutting around this on a piece of sponge from a jewellery item.  This made the cushioning.  Then I covered all of this in the striped fabric and glued in place.

The grandfather clock, already had a dial face I merely highlighted this with a gold pen.  The pendulum was given a lick of brasscopper paint before assembly.

The table didn’t require any effects, but I could have highlighted the legs again with gold.  The armchair was done in the same way as the sofa.

Next I made a quill and inkwell from a glass bead and feather, curving the feather first prior to glueing in the bead.  Finally glueing it into place on the desk.

I made an ink blotter from card and paper and glued this onto the desk.

I made up lots of parcels and put these to one side forlater use.

Then I printed off some games and also a dolls house and dart board.

The doll house I am very pleased with, I used prittstick and mounted it onto card, cut it out and then glued it.The fireplace was from the slot and tab kit[bought very cheaply and ideal for a room box] I made it up  glued and then stained it next cane a polish and I used the completed fireplace to cut out a piece of plywood for the hearth.

Once cut out and after a light sanding I covered the hearth in terracotta tiling paper[I happened to have some of this]

I used pva glue and glued this onto the room box floor directly in front of the fireplace wich I glued at the same time. 

Once dry I glued a pr garland and the fire in place.

A mantel clock and small pile of books from my stash box completed the fireplace.

A few carefully positioned victorian xmas cards complimented this as wellas a few glued to the edge of a shelf for authenticity.

All the furniture was then glued in place and allowed to dry for a few hours.

Next I sanded, glued, and stained as well as polished a slot and tab coffee table.  Leaving this to dry I raided the stash for a few homely items, ashtry and pipe, newspaper and glasses,bottle of wine and a tankard all arranged and glued individually onto table. Once dry the whole thing was glued into place.

A few more pictures downloaded and printed out were glued onto balsa wood and then glued onto walls, for a homely effect.

A calendar with shows xmas eve in red and a xmas picture was made up and glued to the wall next to santas desk.a couple of presents were placed onto santas desk, and a pair of scissors were glued in for realism. 

Next to the chimney breast and the desk is a bin full of rolls of xmas paper downloaded and printed out again/.

Santa’s  large dressing mirror was finally placed and glued.  Again made up from a slot and tab kit, mirror sheeting was used.

Originally I was going to hang Santas hat and  beard on the corners of this, but time was of the essence.  In my haste I glued them onto the Santa doll forgetting all about it!

My day was saved by strategically placing Santa infront of the mirror, to admire his look before starting his deliveries!

Next I glued the two Xmas decorations[bells] one above the chimney breast picture and one at the end of a shelf.

All the presents ready for Santas sack were next to be added, dolls house first, then piles of games and pretty presents, some with bows added, strewn around the floor.  A hobby horse and dartboard complete these.

Next to the fireplace is a ceramicpr stocking of presents for Santa to open when he gets back off his rounds.

I used a piece of red stair carpet edged with gold for a hearth rug.

Again glued in position with pva.

Santa was made up as follows:

Doll was made up according to instructions,

I gave Santa a bottle green velvet suit with white fleece trim.  His belt was made from a strip of leather and the buckle from an old watch strap.

His boots are made from black leather , they are made rounder and fuller by the addition of fimo.

Beard, moustache and hair are from viscose wich I first pleated.

Extra padding was used to give Santa a generous tum!

Next I drilled a hole in the centre of the box to allow a wire to pass through, this really should be done first.  In my defence I hadn’t intended to wire this box, as time was of the essence!  It was a last minute decision.

I covered the box in some xmas red contactfablon paper, I wasn’t sure about this at first as I had intended to use velvet.  Later I was glad I had used this as it can be easily wiped and doesn’t collect dust.

I bought a picture frame the inner aperture was the correct size but the actual frame was larger than my room box.  So I made two legs supported with two cross pieces and glued in position.  This raised the box enough to raise it high enough for the frame to open freely.

Next I took the fram and removing the glass until I had finished, secured two brass hinges to it, offered it to the roombox and marked my hinge holes, hinges fitted, I next glued the glass in place with small strips of balsa and allowed to dry, I also used the existing picture stays to ensure there was no slip ups!  I fastened a catch to the outer edge and my room box now had a beautiful mahogany frame to it!

Next I **

I neglected to mention that I slotted the chandelier wire through the hole and secured by making a small ridge for the wire to drop into then used masking tape and covered these with the contact paper.  The wiring is done with a simple battery box.

This completes my room box, It took me exactly one week, from start to finish including Santa Claus.

I thoroughly enjoyed making it and am currently planning my next one.  My mother was absolutely delighted with her gift and that makes it all the more worth while.

I hope you enjoyed reading about this project, thank you for reading it to the end.

Until next time,

Happy crafting,

 

 

 

You can cath up with Mag's and all her latest news on her very own page, Click HERE



  Hi folks! I thought some of you may be interested in hearing how I made a few accessories for my caravan and camping scene…So to start I have a nice evening project for you…

 

 

 

 

 

 Beaded Door CurtainYou will need:

-A cocktail stick[not necessary to paint this], Some strong thread or doubled cotton.A good supply of beads, small and two larger ones,Choice of colours is up to you, I used spacer beads too.p.v.a. glue or similar.A sewing needle for threading beads.A pair of pliers.

Measure the width and the length of your doorway, we will presume for this tutorial that is 6cm long and 3cm wide.Thread your needle with either the strong thread or doubled cotton, make a knot in the end and place a dab of glue on this to ensure it doesn’t work loose.Begin to thread beads, I used three round beads of similar size to one spacer bead.[If you don’t have a spacer bead you could use a different shape or slightly larger bead.Remember when you are making your bead strings, to use beads of a reasonable scale or otherwise your doll may get a knock on the head if they are too large!Continue in this way until you have achieved 6cms.

Leaving a good end [about 4cms] cut the cotton and make a knot in the cotton close to your last bead. This will prevent the beads from sliding about later, when you connect them to the hanger.Repeat until you have sufficient strings to cover 3cms, NOTE- they don’t have to meet! Leave a slight gap between each string.I left about another string width.Next take the cocktail stick and dipping it into your chosen glue, start to wrap the thread from your first string, about one centimetre from the edge.Continue in this manner until you have wrapped each thread around the cocktail stick

*Remember to leave a little space between each string of beads.It is a good idea to overlap your thread around the cocktail stick, when you have finished, dab the wrong side with glue to prevent any movement, leave to dry thoroughly.

Next take the two larger beads and after dipping the both ends of the cocktail stick in the pva slide on your beads, leaving about another bead string space, after your curtain. [This will allow you to hang the curtain and the larger beads will prevent it from slipping off]When thoroughly dry, snip off any protruding cocktail stick with pliers or craft knife.Your door curtain is now ready to hang…You can use contrasting colours or for a more chique effect, you can use semi transparent beads! Those of you who are clever enough, can even thread a picture into the curtain, such as a circle, butterfly e.t.c.I hope you enjoyed this little mini project,

if you have any queries about it, please do not hesitate to contact me at

How about sending in a photo of your door curtain?Don’t forget to check back to see what other projects I get up to, until next time, happy crafting

Finishing Touches- Metallic Pens

A quick demonstration using a metallic pen to finish off a kit. The kit used is the Elegance Lady Kit, using two of the boxes form this kit. Full Kit price £3.99

You will need a gold marker pen Click Here

Flowersoft Glue Click Here

Elegance Lady Box Kit Click Here

Firstly cut out the items that you are making, in this case, two boxes from the Elegance Lady Boxes Kit.

 

Leave the two pictures pieces to one side for now. Carefully score and fold into place, applying a little glue to the tabs. Gently hold the boxes in place for a few seconds until the glue has begun to bond.

Now that you have the top and bottom of the boxes complete, you can begin to edge the lady images with the gold pen. Place the edge of the card in the middle of the pen nib, begin to drw a thin line all the way around the lady image. You need to try and have an even  line and steady hand, more the pen at a careful but not slow rate or the ink will bleed into the card.

You can always try this on a scrap of card or paper before you do the pack pieces. Once both pieces are complete put them to one side to dry for a moment.

Glue the lady inage onto the box lid, then go around the edges of the box and lid with the gold marker as before. Once dried you can fnish off the box with the silk ribbon in the pack.

 

You will need:

Rectangle of chosen material approximately 2 inches by 2.5 inches

Rectangle of chosen backing material approximately 1.5 inches by 2 inches

Small amount of felt for cushioned part

Glue suitable for fabric (e.g. Fray Stop)

PVA Glue

Step 1 Layer felt until you feel it is deep enough (about 2 – 3 layers should be enough) and cut out pieces as follows

2 pieces 2 inches by 3 inch  1 piece 1 inch by 3 inch     

Step2 Stick these pieces onto the wrong side of your material as in the diagram

Step 3 Fold over and stick the overlapping sides as shown

Step 4  At this time, in order to avoid damage to your backing piece, you should cover the whole front and side of your material with PVA glue. Let this dry. You may need to do a second layer if your material has a rough surface.

Step 5 Attach your backing piece and your mat is complete.

 

Step 1                                                                                         Step2

Step 3                                                                        Step 4

                                                                        Changing Bag By Sheila Kinight

You will Need:

Rectangle of chosen material approximately 2 inches by 3 inches

2 inch square contrast material

Ribbon or other material for handles

Glue suitable for fabric (e.g. Fray Stop)

Sewing needle and cotton

Step 1-Make a small hem along the 2 shortest sides of the rectangle and 2 opposite sides of the square. Centre the square on top of the rectangle, with right sides of both facing up. Stitch along the centre of both pieces across the width of the bag.

Step 2-Sew on the handles as shown in the diagram. Placing right sides together, sew both side seams

 Step 3-Fold one side seam down along the centre bottom seam

Step 4-Stick a small triangle formed from the corner with the point along the bottom seam. Repeat for the other side. This will form the base of the bag.

Step 5-Turn right side out and your bag is complete. Fill as required

              

 Step 1                                                                       Step 2

 

   

Step 3                                                                                      Step 4

Miniature "enamel" Flowers By Elly

Material :

34 gauge  beading wire , silver or gold
Nail polish or Sobo mixed with acrylic
 Cocktal stick or other tool
Tweezers.

Make a loop over your tool
cross underneath, long therad over short
now turn tool away from you in counterclockwise direction fo one complete
circle ; this is one petal.
squeeze firmly.
make another loop and turn again.
Do this as many times as you need petals.

Now slip off you cocktailstick or other tool
Cut stem ( two threads ) and twist to make a single stem.

Bend the petals out to make a flower.

Now either mix Sbo ( or Aleenes ) and acrylic paint , or use nail polish ,
or use glass paint and fill up the petals.

After some practice you flowers can be used for leaves as well ; just make
another shape and use green coloring.